


Word On The Street

by psyfi



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Minor Jack Kelly/Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, me? giving smalls a backstory? it's more likely than you think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 11:25:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14354496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psyfi/pseuds/psyfi
Summary: Smalls' tried and true spot by City Hall is visited by a familiar face, one with an interesting proposition.





	Word On The Street

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fic on ao3 *jazz hands*. I haven't written in ages and I'm trying to get back in the groove and this helped a lot with writer's block, so this may become a series, I dunno.

    City Hall was the perfect place to sell. Old businessmen rushed by, too distracted to pay much attention to whatever headline she cooked up. She was honestly a little bummed no one had noticed her amazing “Extra! Mother cat gives birth to baby ducks!” yet. Smalls leaned up against the brick and people watched, her last pape bouncing off her thigh. The late afternoon sun glared down, sending sweat dripping down her neck. Regretfully, she sighed as she tucked in for a long haul. Later in the day meant the news had already spread, so less people were looking to buy, more concerned with getting dinner started and welcoming kids back from school. Smalls huffed as she pushed off the wall, but paused as she heard a woman grunt.

 

“Let me in you no good son of a-” There, lo and behold, was the Pulitzer heiress herself, pounding on the giant oaken doors, who stubbornly resisted her onslaught. Smalls frowned as Katherine whirled around, discontent seething off of her, before she jolted as she made eye contact with the confused newsie.

 

“Oh, you startled me!” She stuck out a hand and grinned. “Katherine Plumber, reporter for The Sun.”

 

Smalls threw her a smirk as she took her hand in her own. “I’d have to be dead to not know who you are.” Katherine blushed at this, and Smalls continued. “Every newsie within Manhattan knows about Kelly’s girl.”

 

Katherine’s nose scrunched up, and Smalls cursed herself for dropping the accent she had worked so hard on. The girl was an investigative reporter for heaven’s sake, of course she noticed the lack of a newsie tang. Well, too late to do anything about it now.

 

“Why are you hanging around the city hall anyways?” Smalls adjusted her cap as Katherine shifted on her feet, a sheepish look on her face.

 

“Well, I was looking into something, but I kinda sorta-”

 

“Got caught?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Mm. What were you looking for?”

 

Katherine shuffled through the messenger bag at her side and pulled out a slip of paper with a few scribbles on it that Smalls had to squint to even see properly.

 

“The paper got a tip of some shady stuff happening here, and I made up some story about looking over flu deaths over the last few years to get in, but someone figured out that the records and accounting are on opposite sides of the building.” She carefully folded it back up in her bag as Smalls crossed her arms and hummed.

“How shady are we talking here?”

 

“Thousands of dollars lost shady.” Katherine ran a hand through her hair. “But that was my only lead, so now I’m back at square one.”

 

Something had been digging at the back of Smalls’ mind that finally broke through and she clapped her hands, catching Katherine off guard.

 

“Would one Mister James Wilson be the topic of said tip?”

 

“How did you-”

 

“I’ll give you a little advice,” Smalls straightened and twirled her bag around her wrist “no one really notices a snot-nosed little kid selling papes, so they tend to let loose a few things that are better left said behind closed doors. Like the fact that some sort of trade is going down at the docks tomorrow night.” She ended her statement by winking at the dazed reporter. “But didn’t you didn’t hear none of that from me.”

 

A slow smile spread across Katherine’s face as her words processed. Then, with no warning, she leaned forward and snatched the other girl up into a hug.

 

“Oh god, thank you! This might've just saved my hide.” Katherine turned to go, but stopped and glanced back at the last second, a twinkle to her eye. “Just how good are you at snooping?”

 

Smalls pretended to think for a second, then said “I’d like to think of myself as a fairly skilled snooper. Why, you looking for some back up?”

 

“More like a partner in crime. What do you say? You up for it?”

 

Smalls’ common sense was screaming to just let it be, this rich girl could just pay her way out of trouble and be on her merry way while she’d be dragged through the dirt. But, against all better judgement, she looked up at the hopeful look Katherine gave her and sighed.

 

“Sure, haven’t done anything else life threatening this week, so might as well.”

 

Katherine squealed and nodded her head, excitement brimming in her eyes. Smalls really hoped she didn’t just sign her death warrant.  

 


End file.
